In an incident that has sent shockwaves across Kerala, a four-member gang broke into the house of Vinod Chandran, a news editor at Mathrubhumi’s Kannur division in the Thazhe Chovva area of the district during the early hours of Thursday.

Talking to TNM, Kannur City Circle Inspector (CI) Pradeepan Kannippoyil said that the incident took place between 1.30 am and 3.30 am on Thursday.

The burglars are reported to have entered the house by breaking the front door. On hearing the noise, Vinod and his wife, Saritha, came out of their room to inquire. When they came out, they were tied up, blindfolded and brutally assaulted by the burglars.

After the burglars left the scene of the crime, Vinod managed to free himself and immediately called for help. The city police then reached their home, following which the couple was rushed to the ICU of the AKG Memorial hospital in Kannur. Vinod and Saritha have sustained serious injuries to their neck and face.

Talking to Mathrubhumi news, Vinod said, “They had tied my eyes and mouth and started assaulting me. They did the same to my wife. Luckily, I was able to remove the knot after they left. Otherwise, we would have died there.”

CI Pradeepan said that the gang spent nearly one hour in the house after they assaulted the couple.

“After they were tied up, the gang went on to spend nearly an hour at their house. They stole Rs 35,000, 25 sovereigns of gold ornaments,” he said. Their ATM cards, laptops and mobile phones were also stolen, he said.

Pradeepan said that the group of men involved in the crime are suspected to belong to a gang outside Kerala as they were reportedly speaking in Hindi and English.

The case is being investigated by a team lead by the Kannur DySP PP Sadanandan along with CI Pradeepan. The dog squad and fingerprint experts have also examined the scene of crime.